ND police lieutenant dies of apparent suicide

A Fargo Police Lt. was found dead Tuesday morning in an apparent suicide

Our inability to talk about suicidal urges — and how prevalent depression and mood disorders are — can be a deadly taboo

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FARGO, N.D. — A Fargo Police Lt. was found dead Tuesday morning in an apparent suicide.

According to In Forum, 23-year veteran Jeff Skuza was found by officers in a cemetery outside of the city of Fargo after he called dispatchers to request their response.

Officers found Skuza with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

“Today was a bad day for the police department. Tomorrow won’t be easier. I suspect that in the coming days, we’ll have some real challenges to confront,” said Police Chief Keith Ternes.

Skuza joined the force in 1991, and was promoted to sergeant in 2001. After serving as a public information officer and a variety of other positions, he was promoted to lieutenant in 2011, according to the report.

Chief Ternes also said Skuza had an instrumental role in establishing the agency’s peer assistance team.

The incident is currently under investigation. Skuza is survived by his wife and two children.